Stupid Darn Bird
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
What’s “Stupid F—king Bird” about? Oh, so, so many things, including the need for new forms in art and the impossibility of those forms; the unrequitedness of love, romantic and familial alike; the foolishness and vanity of human wishes; the frailty of the flesh and of the spirit. Now, add music. Aaron Posner’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull” keeps the pathos and the insight of the great Russian dramatist of the human condition, adds some levity, punctures some breathing holes, and makes the whole thing soar. It’s two and a half hours, but it feels like a beautiful passing fancy. I’m still thinking about it, and I saw it in April. Nothing stupid about it.
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